Trial and Error
by PrincessDaydream77
Summary: With the remainder of her life hanging in the balance, Narcissa Malfoy can only rely on the mercy of the citizens of the Wizarding World to save her. Sequel to 'So Close, and Still So Far'.
1. Taken

Trial and Error

Summary: With the remainder of her life hanging in the balance, Narcissa Malfoy can only rely on the mercy of the citizens of the Wizarding World to save her. Sequel to 'So Close, and Still So Far'.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling; I hope we all know that by now.

Chapter One

Time had stopped for Narcissa. She supposed, of course, that she had known the time was coming, as the consequence of her actions was severe, but still, the shock had not yet disappeared.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had known that Bellatrix's death would have consequences for her, but she had not expected anything like this, anything so alien as to have Aurors come for her for an act of motherly instinct to protect her son. On reflection, she should have done, but she had not.

Now, however, the situation she had gotten both herself and her family into was all too clear. It was just as it had been two years previously, when Lucius had been caught in the Department of Mysteries, and Narcissa felt a stab of pain in her heart not dissimilar to that of a knife. During that year, once her husband had been convicted, the woman had promised Draco that such an ordeal would never separate them again, that she would make sure it would not. Yet here he stood, here they stood together, as she went back on that vow, having ensured its breakage with her own actions.

The Auror stood before her, to the side of the Minister, had continued to speak, listing the terms and conditions of her arrest in a monotonous voice, as if he had done so countless times before, which he presumably had done, given the level of status he seemed to have with Shacklebolt, but Narcissa was no longer listening. Her focus was fixed on the faces of both her husband and her son, both of whom seemed both shocked and horrified at the events unfolding before them.

As the Ministry employee began to drag her away, however, Lucius seemed to come to life, as if he had only just realised what was happening. He stepped away from Draco, his presence once again as commanding as it had used to be. He stepped right in front of the man, blocking his exit from the Great Hall. He could have easily walked around, but he was stopped by the dark skinned man, who wanted to hear what Malfoy had to say, for fairness, if nothing else. By this point, almost all occupants of the room had turned to watch, including Potter himself. He turned to the Minister with little delay, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder, and began to speak.

"You have no right to arrest her, Shacklebolt." he told the man, strength in his voice that Narcissa had not heard since before he had been incarcerated. "She has committed no crime that warrants you doing so now."

"She was responsible for the death of Bellatrix Lestrange, Malfoy." responded the Auror, a slight smirk on his face. "That adds up to murder in my book."

"Since when has death added up to murder, Minister?" he questioned, glaring at the man who dared to smirk at his wife's situation, though his question was directed to the man in power. "I thought that the nature of the person's death was a factor in the decision as to whether or not the perpetrator should be arrested immediately. That was the case when I still worked at the Ministry, anyway."

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, this tradition has been overruled, for now." Shacklebolt replied smoothly to the question, which was an accusation by anyone's standards. "We are, after all, in a time of warfare."

"And she killed off one of the biggest Death Eater threats in the world!" the man exclaimed, determined not to let his wife down. He had abandoned her for long enough while imprisoned in Azkaban, and there was no chance that, while he was not bound in chains, he would allow her to be carted away just as he was, but for a crime she had not committed, or not as they said she had, at least.

"After fighting alongside them." he responded, not seeming to be fazed at all by the anger that was burning behind Lucius' eyes, and behind Draco's as well, as he was just as furious as his father at the injustice that his mother was suffering.

"Mum didn't fight with Voldemort!" the young man exclaimed, stepping forward in line with his father, yet another person stopping the guard from taking his mother out of the doorway. "She didn't fight with anyone. All she tried to do was find me and get us all out of here, away from the Dark Lord, away from the fighting and the danger. All she wanted was to keep the three of us safe, she didn't mean to hurt her, I know that she didn't. "

"Alright, I think we've heard enough." the Auror sighed, and Kingsley nodded his head in agreement, not saying anything to the positive or negative of the comment, but clearly showing that he agreed nonetheless. "Narcissa Malfoy, you are under arrest for the murder of Bellatrix Lestrange. You have the right to remain silent at any period before your trial, but anything you do say may be taken in writing and used as evidence in your trial."

It took only a moment for the boy to realise that his mother was being taken from him, but the Auror, a large and burly man, had brushed past both himself and his father and was near the door at the end of the Entrance Hall, close to a point where he could Apparate the pair of them. Shacklebolt followed soon after, bringing Draco to his sense, along with Lucius, it seemed.

As Narcissa was taken along the bridge, her family cried out to try and save her, but could not pass the shield charm that the Auror had put up, as the man had predicted that they would do so. They screamed and yelled and fought with the magic, but it did not end until she had disappeared, still maintaining the tearful silence that she had been left in since her arrest had first been announced.

Once his beloved wife had disappeared, Lucius stared at the space where she had disappeared from, as if by doing so he could will her back to him. But she did not reappear, and tears filled his eyes. Narcissa was paying for the crimes he had committed, even now, she was paying for the world he had dragged her into, when she had been just a child. Once again he realised what he had thought so long ago, for years and years on end.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

A/N: So, here is the sequel! I wanted to get it off the ground, and so here it begins again! Please review!


	2. For the Last Time

Chapter Two

A/N: Thank you to NimbusCentaur, for being my first reviewer on this story.

Tightening his tie around his neck, Lucius tried to stay his shaking hands. He was fearful, more so than he had ever been in his life, and it was not on the behalf of himself, but on his darling wife.

Given that she had not yet received a trial, and therefore had not been convicted, the patriarch of the Malfoys had managed to put a great deal of coin into the right pockets, and in return, he had gained access to his wife's cell for a single visit. In truth, he was furious that Narcissa was being held in Azkaban prior to her trial, when there was no proof that Bellatrix's death was cold blooded murder, but if seeing her was all he could do, then that would have to suffice. For now, at least.

That morning, at breakfast, Draco had eaten without once meeting his father's gaze, something that the man had noticed without much hesitation. He did not blame the boy for it, though. He was missing his mother, and had not been permitted to visit her alongside his father, leaving him in a bitter state of sadness, disappointment and envy, one that completely understandable for his father, as he would have felt precisely the same, had he been the one banned from seeing her.

Nevertheless, it had been he who had been permitted, and Lucius was not about to pass over the opportunity to see his wife, as with the corruption and prejudice of the Ministry, there was a chance that it would be the last time he would do so. And so he headed off to the Atrium in London, and from there, he was escorted to the terrible place that had haunted his nightmares for eighteen months, after he had finally been released from the hellhole. Azkaban prison.

Even as he and the guard approached, travelling in a boat, as there was no magic permitted in the area, in case any prisoners should try to escape, the man could not stop himself from shivering. The temperature of the place had not increased since the time in which he had been imprisoned, and neither had the strength of the fear decreased, even when the Dementors had been far more limited in their actions, given the events of the war.

"You are only going to have an hour when we get there." the guard told him, the contempt in his voice clearly showing the one he escorted that he did not want to be around him for any longer than was necessary. In truth, Lucius was not surprised. The Malfoy name still commanded a great deal of fear, despite the fact that the members of it no longer wanted it to do. Perhaps it always would.

"Only an hour?" the man questioned, quite taken aback that after all the effort he had gone to, he was only permitted the most miniscule amount of time with his wife.

"You're lucky to have that amount of time, to see a murderer like her." the watch sniped, and the blonde found himself immediately furious. The man did not seem to mind, in fact, he seemed to revel in the look of anger surfacing on the face of the older man, who was doing all that he could not to punch the man in the face and throw him into the wall, as a punishment for how he had spoken. However, having seen the response that the goading man had given, Lucius decided that he would not rise to the bait. He was not going to allow anything to spoil his chance to see his wife.

Once he had arrived on the frozen island, and had been allowed to find his wife at last, it took him all of a couple of minutes to do so. The cells of the prisoners who were waiting for their trials were always the lowest, and the coldest as well. It was a test that was designed to break them, when they were asked for the names of their accomplices, and Malfoy was furious about its use on his wife. She had no accomplices. She had no one in here.

However, when he finally reached the cell on the end, the only one that was occupied on that floor, the man felt his breath catch in his throat. Curled up into a tight ball in the very corner, her hair in disarray and the skirt of her dress in tatters, was his wife. His beautiful darling wife, Narcissa, and she was almost broken.

"Cissa?" Lucius questioned, his voice so quiet that he could not hear it, yet still seeming to be loud enough to make her start. It seemed that she had been asleep, as she seemed to gasp, as if awaking from a nightmare, an occurrence that had plagued her often, ever since she had been attacked by Bellatrix in the gardens, or perhaps even earlier than that. Seeing that she was a little fearful and confused, Lucius repeated himself, moving a step closer to the woman. "Cissa?"

At last, after what had seemed like an age, his wife raised her head from the tarnished surface of the wall and turned to face him, something in her eyes seeming to light up when she saw the identity of her visitor, the only one she had had since she was bundled into the prison. For a second, she blinked her eyes repeatedly, as if she could not believe that it was him, but that expression faded quickly, leaving only a woman who reached out her arms for her husband's embrace. Within only half a minute, the pair were held so tightly in each other's arms that they were not sure if they would be able to let go. Perhaps they never would do.

"Lucius, I… I'm so sorry for leaving you and Draco… I never wanted for this to happen… I just wanted for us to be a family, I wanted to see my son grow up… and now, I never will." By the final phrase, Narcissa found that she could not continue, as her voice was so choked with sobs that she could not. Lucius understood perfectly, however, and she did not have to say any more. He merely held her tighter, as if by doing so he could protect her from the evils of the world.

When the hour had finally ended, and the guard came to fetch him, bundling him forcefully out of the cell, the blonde man considered awakening his wife, who had fallen into a peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while, the comfort of her husband's arms being enough to lull her into slumber. It was for that reason that he did not do so, merely took a lengthy look at her, memorising each detail of her face before he was taken away.

And as the sun rose once again in the morning, Lucius wondered whether he would ever see that beautiful face again.

A/N: Please review! I want to know what you think!


	3. The Final Step to Fate

Chapter Three

A/N: Thank you to the youngest Gorgons and Misstyfoot for reviewing the last chapter.

When the sun rose in the sky, Narcissa sighed at the sight of it. Through the window bars of the cell, she could see its light, and even it seemed to be frozen, as if the Dementors had sensed the happiness that the light could bring. After the end of the War, they had harnessed control of the beasts once more, and had returned them to their old posts at Azkaban. Many people had disputed the continued use of them as guards, saying that if they were controlled once again, then the same havoc as the War could be wreaked all over again, but the Ministry disputed this. After all, if a witch or wizard had been sent to the prison, there was as good as no hope for them anyway. '_Perhaps there is no hope for me either.'_ she thought.

Despite the opinions of the world, the blonde was not a fool. She was well aware of the fact that her fate had near enough already been decided, and that there was little she could possibly do to change that. Even if a witness came forward in her favour, which she doubted, she had still killed her sister. That was the truth, and even if she was not charged with murder, the odds still did not seem to be in her favour.

She had been provided a mirror, enchanted against breaking, so that she could prepare herself and look presentable for the courts. It was no use, of course. When she had brushed away the remnants of frost from the Dementor's passage, she saw her reflection for the first time since before the Battle of Hogwarts, when she had cast a less than brief glance at the mirror on her way out of the room. Thus, she had not seen the dark circles around her eyes, red from crying, her pale, lifeless skin and her dirtied blonde hair hanging limply down her back. She had been provided with a shapeless black dress to wear for the trial, and Narcissa was glad for the way it swamped her petite figure. She did not, after all, wish for Lucius or Draco to see how thin she had become.

The woman's heart ached sharply in her chest, as if it had been punctured with a blade. '_Lucius and Draco will be there, at the trial.'_ she realised, and cursed her absent mind for not having thought of this before. '_I don't want for them to see me like this, I don't want them to see the mess that I have become in this hell. I don't want for my darling boy to suffer watching his mother sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, the same fate he saw of his father only two years ago, and I don't want for my Lucius to feel the same pain that I did when I watched him taken away, knowing as I did that I would never see him again, that I would grow old without him. Only this time, there will be no one to bring me out of the depths. If I am sentenced to languish in the prison, I will remain there for the rest of my days, cold, empty and alone.'_

At the thought of the trial, her mind turned to the proceedings, and how they would play out. '_Will I even have a defence?'_ she wondered. '_Or will they simply charge me and go? I know that I am entitled to a witness to defend me, but who would stand on my behalf? Close blood relatives are not permitted to stand, and neither are spouses, so Draco and Lucius cannot do this. I don't think I would really want them to, in all honesty. But there is no one else in Wizarding Britain who would not want to see me locked up and the key thrown from the Hogwarts Bridge. There is no hope for me, then.'_

The creaking of the iron bars that lined the front of her cell brought Narcissa from her morbid musings and back to the real world. A guard stood beside the now open door, flanked by a Dementor. The guard, an Auror, she supposed, was chewing on something as he looked at her, inclining his head towards the corridor beside him, with contained a fireplace that would only transport someone from Azkaban to the courtroom in which heinous crimes were tried. '_Given the company he is keeping, that is probably chocolate.'_ she thought, as she went with no objection in the path of the fireplace. '_I am going to end up in the courtroom whether I like it or not. I would like to think that it would be better for me to go to my fate with dignity. At least then, I will not disgrace my family as well.'_

"Just step into the fireplace, and don't try anything." the man barked, and the blonde attempted not to flinch at his harsh tone. He reminded her a little of how Voldemort had been when angered, and that was not a memory that she wanted to relive. However, she pulled herself together, held her head high and stepped into the emerald flames, vaguely aware of the his doing the same as the image of the prison disappeared before her eyes, to be replaced by a black tiled corridor of the Ministry of Magic. There was only one door at the end of the narrow space, and Narcissa was well aware of the place that it would lead to. On the other side of that door, her fate would be decided.

'_Lucius and Draco will be on the other side of that door by now, if the trial is about to begin.'_ she thought, as she took the first couple of steps down the hallway. '_Of course, they know that I don't want them to see me taken away, but I don't imagine that they will listen. After all, I certainly did not listen to Lucius when he said the same.'_

In a couple of moments, there was only step left to take, as the guard had opened the door to the courtroom. The last step would take her into the courtroom, and to her fate, but Narcissa did not slow down in the least.

It was now or never.

A/N: Please review!


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